Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners Salary: $53,597 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 5,730 tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners nationally earn a mean of $53,597. Employment in the series shown fell about 10% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 5.1% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners: what the data shows
Common questions about tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners?
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-4194.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 5,730 workers.
What does a tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Controlling Machines and Processes, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Performing General Physical Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners make?
BLS national median annual wage: $48,970 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $53,597 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,345 |
| 25th percentile | $41,080 |
| Median (50th) | $51,360 |
| 75th percentile | $61,138 |
| 90th percentile | $77,317 |
What education do you need?
For Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Mathematics, English Language, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -22.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -40.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 5,730.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do tool grinders, filers, and sharpenerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 5,730 | 20.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 5,730 | 20.3% |
| Manufacturing | 4,400 | 15.6% |
| Wood Product Manufacturing | 1,520 | 5.4% |
| Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 1,310 | 4.7% |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 820 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners workforce.
Employment Over Time
5,730 Workforce in 2023
The Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$53,597 Average Wage
In 2023, Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners earned an average of $53,597.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Salary distribution for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Employment Growth Projections
-5.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,557 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -22.9%
1,201 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -40.5%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 13.3% growth (Current: $67,314)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 640 employees, $52,240 avg wage
- WA: 490 employees, $73,960 avg wage
- OR: 410 employees, $62,670 avg wage
- TX: 400 employees, $41,060 avg wage
- MI: 390 employees, $48,290 avg wage
- PA: 330 employees, $43,330 avg wage
- AL: 260 employees, $44,080 avg wage
- OH: 260 employees, $57,520 avg wage
- WI: 180 employees, $46,010 avg wage
- NC: 170 employees, $46,280 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 270 employees, $49,070 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 240 employees, $84,900 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 200 employees, $63,600 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 180 employees, $53,570 avg wage
- Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI: 150 employees, $46,820 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 140 employees, $39,100 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 90 employees, $43,360 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 70 employees, $41,860 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 60 employees, $54,190 avg wage
- Eugene-Springfield, OR: 60 employees, $63,170 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Diversity
Demographic information on Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners in 2023 was 5,730 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners workers.
Education level distribution for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Skills
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing.
Required skills for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners include Mechanical, Mathematics, English Language, Production and Processing, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
Daily Activities
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners spend their time on activities such as Controlling Machines and Processes, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners.
About
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
The average yearly wage for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners was $53,597 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-4194 - Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners reports an average salary of $53,597.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 5,730 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -5.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.